Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 2.djvu/231

 IN BATTLE AND IN PRISON.

��215

��with his whole corps and is marching in the direction taken by the main army. Looking toward the rebel position on our left, dark masses of men are seen moving over the hills, as if in retreat. Here again we have food for specula- tion. Has Hooker, whose guns are now heard on the right, outflanked the enemy? Later on we learned that these troops were Stonewall Jackson's rear guard, that intrepid commander being then in the process of executing that fa- mous flank movement which put the nth corps to rout and turned a Union success into a Confederate victory, the most signal ever achieved by its armies. About noon our troops made a demon- stration, driving back the enemy's pick- ets, and later in the day rifle pits were dug under cover of army blankets hung up as if to dry — a device so simple as to deceive the Confederates, for otherwise, being commanded by their guns, it could not have been effected without serious loss.

The next day (Saturday, May 2), was comparatively quiet, although far to the right could be heard the deep, yet muffled sound of artillery firing, telling that Hooker was engaged. We made demonstrations all along our front, but did no real fighting. During the night, the firing on the right became very heavy, — and I was called into line at about 2 a. m., to go through ere an- other chance to sleep was afforded me, the most exciting experiences of my life. We were marched to the front, and posted in a ravine. With the first streaks of dawn came sounds of mus- ketry firing on our right. It was the Light Division in the streets of Freder- icksburg. Marching by the left flank we emerge from the ravine and take a position on the left, the second, and third and light divisions of our corps extending to the right. As we leave the ravine the enemy opens a heavy fire upon our devoted regiment, the hills on our front and right being aflame with the flashes of the "red artillery." We advance rapidly, our general lead- ing ; our batteries gallop to the rising ground, and open on the enemy's guns posted near the railroad embankment

��and which are doing the most execution. Our guns are splendidly served, and soon the rebel battery in front and its infantry supports are seen making quick time for the fortifications in th© woods at the base of the hill. Now the guns on the hills redouble their fire, and the din is terrible. Men are falling at every step, and so fierce is the concentric artillery fire of the Confederates that our batteries have to be withdrawn. Not so the infan- try. It is our part to keep the rebel force in front employed while the divisions on our right storm Marye's Heights. So we keep steadily on until a ravine is reached running at right angles with the one we have left, and leading nearly up to the rebel en- trenchments. The air is full of scream- ing shot and whistling shell, and as we near the entrance to the ravine, which is filled with a thick undergrowth of trees and bushes, our boys are ready to insist that at least five hundred rebel cannon have the range and are pepper- ing us accordingly. Through the hell of fire we go, marching by the left flank and closing up our ranks with each breach, and into the ravine from which the enemy's sharpshooters are seen to scamper like so many rats, as much to escape the range of their own cannon as that of our musketry, for we had not as yet fired a shot. — Here, by hugging the steep sides, we were partially sheltered and within half rifle practice of the foe posted behind their breastworks at the base of the hill. A brisk fusilade was kept up, and although we were unsup- ported and "in the air" we kept the Johnnies so busy that they did not at- tempt a sortie. By this time, also, the batteries on Marye's Heights, which had enfiladed us, had as much as they could do nearer home, for Howe and Newton had begun their advance. It being deemed useless to attempt to do more than keep the enemy in our front em- ployed, our regiment was withdrawn from the ravine and the Parrotts were again opened on the position, which we had, supposed was to be stormed. — " The war which for a space did fail," now opens furiously on our right, and we watch the advance of the light di-

�� �